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Registration Roadmap

Before covered activities can begin, they must be approved by the Office of Youth Protection and Programming by demonstrating compliance with the Protecting Minors policy through the registration process. If you’ve determined your camp, program, activity or event is a covered activity, below is a helpful roadmap to follow that incorporates both requirements and best practices.

As an additional resource, download our quick reference guide for USC covered activities below.

Quick-Reference-Guide-4Download

90 days prior to start:

1. Planning

Review the Protecting Minors policy

Carefully review and confirm you’ll be able to meet the requirements in the Protecting Minors policy. If you have concerns or questions, please reach out to minors@usc.edu to discuss them with our office.

Obtain Sponsoring Unit “pre-approval”

A Sponsoring Unit is an academic or administrative unit of the University or one of its schools/colleges that:

  • Serves as a Covered Activity Administrator’s point of contact with the University;
  • Confirms alignment between a Covered Activity and the goals, values and initiatives of the unit and the University;
  • Partners with the Covered Activity Administrator and the Office of Youth Protection and Programming in ensuring compliance by the Covered Activity with this Policy; and
  • Shares responsibility for its activities.   

During registration you’ll need to list a Sponsoring Unit contact (name and contact information) so it’ll be important that you work with someone from an affiliated school or unit to review and “preapprove” the covered activity before that happens.

Prepare your staff application materials

A critical component to protecting minors is having a thorough screening process to help confirm that the adults entrusted with caring for youth are skilled and qualified to work with them. To help confirm your staff’s suitability to work with minors in your covered activity, develop a multilayered approach to screening that includes the following:

  • Obtaining a written application*
  • Holding a live interview*
  • Conducting at least 2 reference checks (non-family)*

*These screening measures are required for individuals who are not current employees of USC.

For more information about how to incorporate these screening measures into your staff application/hiring process and potential red flags to look out for, review our Background Screening Guide (which is found in the Resource Library).

Develop or update your emergency plans

It is critical that every covered activity develop plans and protocols to help protect the health, safety and security of both participants and staff in the event of an emergency or crisis situation. If possible, we recommend emergency planning be done as a team exercise, so as many staff as possible feel invested in preparing for – and equipped to respond to – an emergency (e.g., earthquakes, serious accident, medical emergency, active shooter, etc.).

Response plans should address the following[1]:

  • Who can direct your response (e.g., an evacuation)?
  • When and how will parents/guardians be notified of the emergency?
  • How can parents/guardians contact you or their child in the event of an emergency?
  • Who will decide what to tell your youth participants and when?
  • How will you signal an emergency – and the type of emergency – to those in your covered activity or facility?
  • How will everyone in the facility be accounted for after an evacuation?
  • What will be taken during evacuation?
  • To where will children, staff, and others be evacuated?
  • How will children and staff be transported?
  • What coordinating actions with university or community public safety and/or emergency management officials are necessary?
  • Who is responsible for each action documented in your plan?

Before your covered activity begins, confirm your emergency procedures are updated, in place, and well-communicated.

Coming soon: Our office is working on developing a template which we hope to have available by January 2023.

[1] Adapted from FEMA. (2016). IS-0366.a Planning for the Needs of Children in Disasters. Available from https://emilms.fema.gov/is_0366a/groups/287.html.

Plan for adequate supervision at all times

When planning your activities, make sure that you will have the staff coverage to meet the minimum supervision ratios at all times (see below).

Program participant age group Number of residential (overnight) participantsNumber of non-residential (day only) participants Number of Covered Activity Staff
5 years561*
6-8 years681*
9-14 years8101*
15-18 years10121*
For example, a residential program with 24 “9-14-year-old” minor participants requires 3 Covered Activity Staff members be present at all times.

Important:

  • At least two covered activity staff are to be present when supervising or in direct contact with minors
  • One-on-one interactions between a minor and covered activity staff are prohibited unless they are observable and interruptible by another covered activity staff person.

Additionally, and aside from ratios, train your staff to actively supervise, meaning they understand how to intentionally observe, listen and engage with participants – helping to prevent unsafe situations from occurring and stepping in when appropriate.

Consider additional safeguards

Think about other potential risks associated with the physical or virtual environments where youth will be, and what safeguards might help keep them safe. For example, you may want to have staff monitor or close off “high-risk” areas like stairwells, hallways, etc. If you’re using online platforms, you may want to educate participants on proper “netiquette” (online etiquette) and the risks of cyberbullying before activities begin to help keep themselves, and others, safe. Consider pulling in your staff and even participants into the conversation so that they can contribute their thoughts and concerns.

Submit an exemption, if necessary

If a section of the policy would inhibit the administration of a covered activity and its intended goals or outcomes, an exemption can be requested by submitting an exemption request using the form found here (same link as registration but you will submit your exemption request first).

This request must include how the covered activity’s administration, goals or outcomes are not supported by the policy from which it is requesting exemption, as well as a description of alternative safeguards that would be implemented to adequately address the protection of minors in the policy’s absence.

Exemption requests must be submitted 90 days before a Covered Activity begins, and on an annual basis for ongoing or pre-established Covered Activities. Approval or denial will be provided within 30 days of receiving the exemption request.

60 days prior to start:

2. Registration

Register your covered activity 60 days in advance of your start date

In order to initiate the registration process with our office, you’ll need to complete our registration form with the information listed below. Registration must be done 60 days in advance of the anticipated start date.

The following information may be required during registration:

  • Sponsoring Unit information (including name and contact information)
  • Dates of the covered activity (start and end)
  • Location(s) for all activities (an itinerary can be uploaded too, if available)
  • Supervision ratios, including the number of participants, their age(s), and the number covered activity staff assigned to supervise them
  • Participant information[1]:
    • Participant first & last name, date of birth
    • Parent/guardian first & last name, phone, email
    • Emergency contact first & last name, phone, email
  • Covered activity staff information:
    • First & last name
    • Email address
    • Staff type (employee, volunteer, student, etc.)
    • Youth protection training completion date (if available, but this can be added later)

[1] This can be submitted at a later time; however, it must be received at least 3 days prior to your anticipated start date in order to be approved. If you are using CampDoc, this is not required.

If you’re ready you can register here.

Schedule a consultation with the Office of Youth Protection & Programming

Our office is here to support you in meeting the requirements of the Protecting Minors policy, and to provide you with considerations for additional safeguards based on the activities your planning. Once you’ve registered (or even before), you can use this link to schedule a time to meet via phone or Zoom, at a time that is convenient for you. We look forward to helping you plan a safe, meaningful and positive experience for your participants!

3. Background screening

Complete Live Scan fingerprinting

All covered activity staff must successfully complete a Live Scan fingerprint-based background check.

Third parties:

If you are a third party operating a covered activity at USC, please refer to the tab below (“Third party background screening requirements”).

USC-sponsored covered activities:

The following information and procedures pertain to USC-sponsored or USC-affiliated covered activities only.

If any covered activity staff have completed and cleared a Live Scan background check to participate in a covered activity with USC in the past, they may not be required to complete it again and their eligibility (as well as the date on which they were deemed eligible) will reflect in your registration record. Note that Live Scan background checks completed for other organizations are not valid for USC’s purposes, as results cannot be shared with USC. 

Live Scan instructions (note that these are sent to covered activity staff after submitting registration):

  1. Review the instructions for completing the Live Scan application form, which is the form you’ll need to bring with you when getting fingerprinted.
  2. Complete the prepopulated USC Live Scan application form and make 2 copies. Note that the pre-populated Live Scan application form cannot be used by third parties.
  3. To avoid paying fees out of pocket, make an appointment at the following Live Scan location:
    • MR. Fingerprints located at 617 S Olive St. Ste 807 Los Angeles, CA 90014; or
    • Attend free, on-campus fingerprinting sessions with a Live Scan operator which are occasionally scheduled by USC. If you have a large group (50+), we can help schedule a visit specifically for your covered activity staff when possible.
  4. Bring the completed application form and a government-issued ID, such as a U.S. Driver’s License, U.S. passport or foreign passport with U.S. visa, to the Live Scan location.
  5. In the event these options do not accommodate your staff, they may choose another location; however, please note that reimbursement may not cover all associated fees, and/or there may be a delay in receiving funds. For alternative Live Scan locations, including associated fees, refer to the California Department of Justice’s Live Scan locator tool.
  6. Confirm covered activity staff Live Scan results. Note that all covered activity staff information must be entered into your covered activity’s registration record in order for Human Resources to locate them and update their status – and for you to verify eligibility. Results must be reflected in your registration record at least 7 days prior to the start of the covered activity, in accordance with the Protecting Minors policy.

Status key:

  • Not received – DOJ has not yet provided USC with results
  • Complete – Individual deemed eligible to work with minors
  • Ineligible – Staff person deemed ineligible to work with minors

Out-of-state Live Scan

Live Scan background checks are generally completed in person in the state of California. If an out-of-state check is required, it is possible; however, the process requires extensive lead time (approximately two months). If sufficient lead time is available for the individual, please contact background@usc.edu for more information on completing a Live Scan out of state.

For more information about what Live Scan is, procedures, what the process entails, and why it is required, please refer to our FAQ which can be found on our Screening webpage.

Screen all covered activity staff against the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s Centralized Disciplinary Database (CDD)

All covered activity staff must be screened against the CDD, which was designed specifically to inform the public if/when individuals participating in U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Movements have either been found to have engaged in—or are alleged to have engaged in—forms of misconduct that present a potential risk to other members of the sport community. To learn more, visit the Center’s website which includes this one-pager that has additional information about the CDD.

To crosscheck your covered activity staff, visit the Center’s website and search by each staff person’s first and/or last name to confirm they are not included in the CDD. If someone is flagged, contact the Office of Youth Protection and Programming for guidance.

Confirm all additional required screening has been completed

While it is best practice to screen all individuals using these additional measures, you must confirm that any covered activity staff that are not employed by USC have undergone the following additional screening measures:

  • A written application
  • Live interview
  • Conducting at least 2 reference checks (non-family)

Our office is not requiring that you submit this information during registration; however, you must attest during registration that it will be done, if required, and keep documentation as part of your covered activity’s overall records should it be requested later.

Third party background screening requirements

All third parties must conduct background screening of all of their covered activity staff in a manner that is consistent with the requirements of the Protecting Minors policy, and certify that all requirements have been met by completing and submitting this form, as well as a list of all staff who have undergone and cleared these requirements to their registration record.

4. Education and training

Provide covered activity staff training information

We are working on updating a course in Trojan Learn, but in the meantime our training is provided by a third-party vendor called Praesidium. This training guide has all they need to get started, including instructions on how to register for and access training.

While several courses are available, currently the only required course is Duty to Report: Mandated Reporter Training. Collect confirmation that youth protection training has been completed from each Covered Activity Staff person, including the date of completion. You may want to ask that they send you a screenshot for your records, though this is not required.

Important: You must enter staff completion dates in your registration record – which you can access at any time using the link provided to you in your registration confirmation email. All training dates must be entered in your registration 7 days prior to the start date in order for your covered activity to be approved.

Third party youth protection training requirements

Third parties must provide training to their staff consistent with the university’s requirements, and certify this requirement has been met by completing and uploading this form during registration.

Issue and collect signed acknowledgment of USC’s Guidelines for Interacting with Minors

While not required, this is a best practice. You can find a PDF version of this document in our Resource Library (see “Conduct forms for adults and youth participants” tab). You have the option of using this form as is, or you can download the .doc version and add (please do not remove content) anything that might be important or specific to your covered activity.

Plan and then hold your staff orientation training

While USC’s online youth protection training is important in providing a knowledge base for preventing, identifying and responding to suspected child abuse or neglect, it’s also very important to hold a live orientation for your staff. Doing so tells them that they are valued and gives them the tools they need to be successful. An orientation should include the following topics:

  • An overview of duties and responsibilities
  • Emergency procedures
  • Supervision expectations (e.g., passive vs. active supervision)
  • How to establish healthy boundaries early
  • Staff conduct expectations
  • Grooming behavior and how to intervene
  • Reporting requirements and protocols
  • Talking to participants about what they can expect/ what appropriate conduct looks like
  • Providing participants information on how to report (including our Reporting page)
  • Participant behavioral expectations & disciplinary procedures
  • Q & A

If you’d like our office to attend or talk with your staff about topics related to youth protection, we’re happy to do so! Please reach out to minors@usc.edu to see how we can help.

5. Information for participants and families

Provide parents and guardians information about your covered activity

The Protecting Minors policy requires that all covered activity administrators provide participants and their parents/guardians key safety information about the covered activity. To make this easier for you, our office has created a dedicated a webpage for parents, guardians and caretakers that includes the majority of this information, and you are welcome to include this link in your registration materials, on your website, etc. – however it may fit best.

Important: You will still need to provide parents/guardians specific safety and security procedures, including how you’ll notify them in an emergency, how they can contact you and/or their children during the covered activity, and a description of how rules or conduct violations by youth will be handled.

Determine which consent forms you need to collect from parents/ guardians

Depending on the type of covered activity you’re conducting, the forms you use may vary. However, most should use the following (for USC-affiliated or – sponsored only; RSOs may use these as a template/example only) :

  • Parental Consent (liability waiver)
  • COVID-19 Informed Consent and Release of Liability
  • Medical Authorization; Information & Insurance [1]
  • Pickup/Dismissal Authorization
  • Use of Technology
  • Program Rules; Standards of Behavior for Participants
  • Photo and Media Release

If you’d like to review the content of these forms, the document is available in the Resource Library. Consult our office if you are unsure which forms you should use.

All of these forms have been reviewed and are already available for you to issue participants/ families via CampDoc.

[1] Note: Student Health has asked that all covered activities collect and store medical information in CampDoc or, alternatively, enroll participants in the Student Health Fee – the benefits of which you can learn more about in our Resource Library.

Set up a CampDoc account with Provost IT

Important: CampDoc and the information below applies to USC-sponsored or -affiliated covered activities only. CampDoc is not available to third parties or Registered Student Organizations at this time.

During registration, USC-affiliated or -sponsored covered activities will have the option of automatically setting up a CampDoc account which will allow you to electronically issue, collect and store your participants’ consent forms. If you choose not to do this during registration, you can email helpdesk@provost.usc.edu at a later time to get an account started. Please note that account setup can take 1-2 weeks; if you have covered activity-specific forms you need to include, the process may take longer (3-4 weeks).

Note: If you will be enrolling your participants in the Student Health fee, setting up a CampDoc account may not be required. Consult with our office if you have questions.

15-30 days prior to start (and after its conclusion):

6. Approval & final steps

Confirm all requirements have been met

Be sure to monitor the status of your covered activity staff’s Live Scan results. You can check the status by checking your registration record using access link you receive after registering. Keep in mind that both Live Scan results and training completion must be reflected in the registration record 7 days prior to the start date in order for the Office of Youth Protection and Programming to approve it.

Final approval

Once all requirements have been met/reflected in your registration record, you’ll receive an automated message indicating your approval, which you can keep in your records.

Submit your final participant roster

If your final list of participants changed after your initially submitted list, be sure to upload a final roster. If you used CampDoc, however, this may not be necessary if all participants are included there.

Consider conducting a self-evaluation

Once the covered activity has concluded, work with your staff (and if appropriate, parents/guardians and participants) to reflect on what went well, what presented challenges, and areas of opportunity to strengthen safety moving forward.

Register Your Activity

All covered activities must be registered online with the Office of Youth Protection and Programming 60 days before the start date.

Access the registration portal